I bought this bar as soon as they came back into stock after a lengthy period due to COVID-19. During this time, it is my understanding that the bar was subject to a design change, so I believe this to be the first review of the new design. While I never experienced squatting with the old version, I have read a few reviews with a common theme that the knurling in the centre portion of the bar was not sufficient and therefore the bar was prone to slipping in some instances. It is great, however, that Strength Shop have been proactive in this regard by improving the bar to include a full-length knurling. Having used the newly designed bar, I can confirm that there is no slippage. Instead, the bar feels incredibly stable on my back. In addition, this bar has resolved my primary reason for purchasing it. Due to shoulder issues and tightness across the chest, I have always had significant elbow pain from low bar squatting due to compensations, something that then hindered other movements, especially pressing. As such, I had to minimise back squats during training. However, with the bow bar, I am able to back squat again comfortably - a big win! Being as fair as possible with my review, I will comment on some issues I have noticed, though they are more annoyances than anything else. First, there are marks on the knurling, presumably from where the bar was secured while it was being bent into shape. Unfortunately, I can't really see how this could be avoided in manufacturing as it wouldn't be ideal to have to bend the bar before knurling it - that would be a nightmare! It has no impact on function however, and frankly bars tend to pick up marks through wear and tear over time anyway. Another minor annoyance is that the bar weighs approximately 24kg. I assume this is due to a conversion between imperial and metric, but to work around this 'weird' number, I will be adding on my 0.5kg plates on each side for every training session!!!! Probably a little more annoying is that the US version of the bar does in fact appear to weigh 25kg by being an inch longer, and I assumed that they would all come from the same supplier, but perhaps not. Either way, as I mentioned before, these are only very minor things. In summary, this bar is fantastic value at under £200, does exactly what I bought it for and it is built like a tank. At a 35mm, it feels super stiff and comfortable when squatting and I really look forward to using it more.
